Best ever chocolate brownies recipe

Prep: 25 mins More effort

Cook: 27 mins - 35 mins

Cuts into 16 squares or 32 triangles

Ingredients Method
Step 1 Cut 185g unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a medium
185g unsalted butter
bowl. Break 185g dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into
185g best dark chocolate
the bowl.
85g plain flour

40g cocoa powder Step 2 Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit
the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the
50g white chocolate
water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have
50g milk chocolate melted, stirring occasionally to mix them.

3 large eggs
Step 3 Remove the bowl from the pan. Alternatively, cover the bowl
275g golden caster sugar
loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on
High. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.

Step 4 While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the
middle of your oven and turn the oven on to 180C/160C fan/gas
4.

Step 5 Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of kitchen foil
(or non-stick baking parchment) to line the base. Tip 85g plain
flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium
bowl. Tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and
you get rid of any lumps.

Step 6 Chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on
a board.
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 Step 7 Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster
sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs
and sugar. They will look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This
can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is.
You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and
about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the
mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the
mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of
the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.

Step 8 Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then
gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at
one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and
in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure
of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get
at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour
is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without
knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like.

Step 9 Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift
the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side,
to cover the top evenly.

Step 10 Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action
as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit
unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it
will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel
you should, as you don’t want to overdo this mixing.

Step 11 Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re
dotted throughout.

Step 12 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of
the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the
corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side
across the top to level it.

Step 13 Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. When the buzzer
goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the
tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so
slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has
a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come
away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
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 Step 14 Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then, if
you’re using the brownie tin, lift up the protruding rim slightly
and slide the uncut brownie out on its base. If you’re using a
normal tin, lift out the brownie with the foil (or parchment). Cut
into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally
into triangles.

Step 15 They’ll keep in an airtight container for a good two weeks and in
the freezer for up to a month.
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